Exit poll: Ruling party overwhelmingly wins South Korea elections

By

Yonhap News Agency

Kwon Yang-sook, wife of late former President Roh Moo-hyun, votes at a polling station in Gimhae, South Gyeongsang Province, on Wednesday. Photo by Yonhap

SEOUL, June 13 (UPI) -- A joint exit poll by three major TV broadcasters suggested the ruling Democratic Party won 14 of the 17 metropolitan mayoral and gubernatorial posts contested in Wednesday's local elections.

The main opposition Liberty Korea Party probably secured only two seats, according to the poll released just after the vote ended at 6 p.m. local time.

In parliamentary by-elections, held simultaneously with local elections for the first time, the DP was forecast to secure 10 of the 12 seats up for grabs, while the LKP possibly won only one, it showed.

Tentative turnout for the local elections was tallied at 60.2 percent, as 25.8 million of 42.9 million eligible voters cast ballots, according to the National Election Commission. It would mark the first time that the voting rate in a local election surpassed 60 percent since 1995.

The biggest battleground is Seoul, where 20 percent of the country's population of 52 million live.

The exit poll suggested incumbent Mayor Park Won-soon, affiliated with the ruling DP, won the election against Kim Moon-soo of the conservative LKP and Ahn Cheol-soo of the minor opposition Bareunmirae Party. Park is seeking his third term.

The poll also indicated the ruling party's candidates won in 13 other major cities and provinces -- including the cities of Incheon, Busan and Ulsan and the provinces of Gyeonggi and South Gyeonsang. The LKP was ahead in only two of its strongholds -- the city of Daegu and North Gyeongsang Province.

Smaller opposition parties, including the center-right Bareunmirae, failed to secure chief posts in the 17 wide-area local entities, the poll showed.

The quadrennial local elections are seen as a barometer for President Moon Jae-in's liberal administration, which took office in May last year.

The governing DP has basked in a high approval rate on the back of strong public support for Moon and his drive to bring peace to the Korean Peninsula.

The LKP is still reeling from the collapse of public trust in it following last year's ousting of former President Park Geun-hye due to a corruption scandal. The party hoped to pick up the votes of "shy" conservatives who had maintained a low profile.

The local elections were held just one day after a historic summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in Singapore.

Geopolitical developments have had limited impact on elections, but the latest unprecedented event is largely viewed as a boon for the ruling DP amid the mood for rapprochement.